visual display unit
    n 1: (British) British term for video display [syn: visual
         display unit, VDU]

Visual Display Unit
Display Screen Equipment
VDU

    (VDU, or "video terminal", "video display
   terminal", VDT, "display terminal") A device incorporating a
   cathode ray tube (CRT) display, a keyboard and a serial
   port.  A VDU usually also includes its own display
   electronics which store the received data and convert it into
   electrical waveforms to drive the CRT.

   VDUs fall into two categories: dumb terminals and
   intelligent terminals (sometimes called "programmable
   terminals").

   Early VDUs could only display characters in a single preset
   font, and these were confined to being layed out in a
   rectangular grid, reproducing the functionality of the
   paper-based teletypes they were designed to replace.

   Later models added graphics facilities but were still driven
   via serial communications, typically with several VDUs
   attached to a single multi-user computer.  This contrasts with
   the much faster single bitmap displays integrated into most
   modern single-user personal computers and workstations.

   The term "Display Screen Equipment" (DSE) is used almost
   exclusively in connection with the health and safety issues
   concerning VDUs.

   <Working with VDUs - UK Heath and Safety Executive>.

   (2002-11-09)